Having just arrived at a mooring outside the Jolly Boatman pub, the first task was to get the bicycle down from the roof of the boat and cycle back to get the car. 10 miles cycling through mud, bicycle in the back of the car and a short drive later, our car was now parked in the pub car park so we thought we should do our duty and buy a drink to justify our parking space. Walking into the bar at just after 8pm, we were surprised to find that we had just missed last orders and the pub was about to close for the night. It was a Monday evening in January so not the busiest, but not completely empty either. Anyway, we happily returned to our cosy, floating saloon for a cheaper glass of wine.
The next morning, we awoke to find that the canal had frozen over and temperatures were not predicted to rise above zero all week. Since we had now become longer term residents than we had originally planned, we did return to the Jolly Boatman for a meal later in the week. The food was fine and the service friendly… nothing especially memorable except the convenience of a mooring right outside, a large car park (although beware parking behind the lockable gate), and a short (30 minute) drive into the centre of Oxford.
What’s Round The Bend? 